Of Cruel Gods and Weak Men
by BrightestDarkness
Summary: Despite all he had done, the Reapers still came. Even with a shattered world, the Alliance continues to resist. Elsewhere the Illusive Man emerges from the shadows to secure victory from humanity even at the cost of his soul. The Alliance crumbles, Cerberus moves, the Council simply watches, and the Reapers march onwards undeterred. Slight AU for Mass Effect 3.


Shepard's log:

Violence.

Brutality.

War.

Supposedly simple concepts, but deceptively tough to grasp.

When I was younger, I always believed in strength, the strength to overcome my foes, the strength to command my team, the strength to do what needs to be done. I thought i understood the realities of war, and that I was strong enough to overcome all that stood in my path.

I was wrong.

Strength mattered once, perhaps, when there was a foe I could fight, when there was something I could hit directly. But what does my strength mean to the Reapers?

When they came, size stops mattering because they were always bigger. Guns stopped mattering because their's was better. And numbers stopped mattering when our troops became their's.

What does the strength of a man mean to gods?

When I was chasing Saren across the galaxy, I could have never imagined what terrors lay before me. I was only a soldier, doing what was supposedly right, defending the universe from threats internal and external.

Then I died. Which really put things into perspective for me.

Cerberus rebuilt me into something stronger, but not something better. I could tear men apart with my bare hands, my biotics were new, upgraded, and the Normandy was made anew. My mind was left untouched; I was still the same man, facing greater threats than I.

For all my enhancements, my skills, and my might, I was only human.

It was also around this time that I noticed my true position, not as Commander Shepard of the Normandy, but as the reliable pawn of my handlers. The Illusive Man was at least direct in his attempts to use me as a puppet. The Alliance and Council were less so.

If I were younger, I would have continued to serve faithfully, as any soldier would, but now I see that this is no longer a fight for soldiers. This has stopped being a war.

Today, they will deem me a criminal for doing what was necessary. They don't understand that fate that I bestowed upon the Batarian populace was a mercy compared to what the Reapers had planned for them.

I don't blame the Alliance though.

Who could possibly want to think about nightmares from beyond, if there was the option to ignore impending doom and go about their day. After all, it's much easier to be weak than it is to stay strong in the face of the unthinkable.

Today they charge me for the genocide of an entire system, when the real monsters are knocking at our doors.

Strength means nothing now. Not to the Reapers, who remain implacable as ever. Not to the Alliance, with their head in the sand. Not to Cerberus, who plan to fight a shadow war against beings of absolute extermination.

Strength means nothing without support. And I am alone. I would almost consider it a mercy if the Reapers came now. Almost.

End of Recording

* * *

As the smoke began to clear around him, Shepard could faintly hear Anderson calling for him as his hearing came back.

If he wasn't disoriented, he might consider cursing his own words spoken earlier.

Not that it would matter, for the Reapers have come.

Even after all he had done, the Reapers still came and caught Earth with its pants down. It was quite humiliating when he considered it.

Moving onwards with Anderson, Shepard saw the emblematic scenes of violence, brutality, and war. Followed quickly by the screams of the populace and utter devastation of both military and infrastructure.

It was just another day for Shepard.

Ever since Virmire, Shepard stopped believing that he could prevent catastrophes from happening and just accepted them. He eventually figured out that if he was going somewhere, the situation was probably already leaning on the edge of oblivion, and he was going have to deal with the mess.

Still, he was glad that Anderson is with him, if at least for now. Shepard knows that Anderson is struggling harder than he is for the sake of humanity, which is why Anderson was on the council instead of Udina.

Shepard also knows that Anderson is tired, and that is why Udina now presides as councilor instead of him.

Shepard is quickly snapped out of his train of thought by the oncoming horde of husks. He should have seen this coming, considering that the Reapers have arrived in the city where screaming civilians can be found in abundance. If he were a cruel man he might have found amusement at the sight of the civilians being herded into a line, each getting ready to take a ride on the dragon's teeth to turn into the enemy. Regardless Shepard took some comfort that, at the least the husks were still basically zombies and therefore easy to kill.

Then he got to meet the Cannibals.

Shepard never liked Batarians much. It was less of xenophobia and more of a response he had developed from the amount of them he had to kill over the course of his career. Ever since the Skyllian Blitz, he has to remind himself not to grab his gun every time he saw a Batarian. He experiences on Bahak and Omega did not help.

If their guns weren't bad enough, it was clear that the Cannibals were living up to their name by devouring some of the husks. Shepard felt a bit insulted that the husks, which were spawned from humans, were likely the most inferior type of Reaper unit. He quickly dismissed those thoughts when he realized that it would mean that he would have fought nigh unstoppable monsters at Eden Prime if the husks were truly tougher.

Shepard has always enjoyed taking things apart in close quarters, relishing in the fear and desperation of his prey before plunging his fist through their fleshy bodies. The Reapers never gave him this satisfaction. The came at him, mechanical, savage, and lifeless so it was unsurprising that they died the same way. A charge-nova combo and few biotically infused punches later, he was once again moving onwards with Anderson.

They needed to get off the planet.

* * *

James Vega believed himself to be ready for any coming threat after the events of Fehl Prime. He thought he knew about pain and suffering. Then the Reapers came. Even aboard the Normandy, he felt uncomfortably vulnerable after seeing the corpse of the Alliance Dreadnought. He needed to find something he could fight, he needed to be able to protect himself and he couldn't do that on the Normandy, where a Reaper could spot them and exterminate them at any second. He needed to be in control.

He needed to get off the ship and defend Earth

* * *

Joker was certain that he was the best pilot that there ever was in the Alliance, but he was also certain that it meant jack shit against the Reaper's giant groin lasers. Nevertheless, Shepard needed him, so he went into hell.

He had to land his ship.

* * *

Ashley Williams hated feeling helpless, but there was nothing she could do but suffer this time. She was the epitome of a soldier, and she would follow her orders to hell and beyond, but now she was at a loss. The Alliance had been broken, and she was the highest-ranking officer aboard the Normandy. For the first time in her life, she wished that the William's curse was still in existence. She was the commander and she didn't know what to do.

She had to find Anderson and Shepard.

* * *

Anderson was tired. That was the understatement of the century. He hated being a politician, he hated the damn council, and he hated the Reapers for shooting at him all the time. He wished he could just sit down and have a second to recover.

He knew that wasn't happening.

Shepard was with him, doing what he did best as he casually tore Reaper troops apart. Anderson wondered if Shepard could ever function in society if they survived this, if he could get rid of the habits that came from killing so many. For the third time that day Anderson questioned if Shepard felt anything anymore after he pulled the head off a Cannibal without a second glance.

They were soldiers, but at least they were still men. Shepard had become something a little bit more, or a little bit less.

It was at his last clip when Anderson realized that he needed to stay. He was likely the highest commanding officer alive on Earth, and he needed to keep Earth together.

And he was tired. He was tired of the Council, he was tired of making painful choices, he was tired of running away.

He had to stay.

* * *

As he climbed aboard the Normandy, Shepard turned to try and help Anderson onboard.

The moment he made eye contact he knew Anderson was not leaving.

"You're staying aren't you."

"You saw those men back there. There are a million more like them and they need a leader. We can't win this fight without help, Shepard. We need every species, and all their ships to even have a chance of defeating the Reapers. Talk to the council, get them to listen."

"You know that I am not part of the Alliance anymore."

"Consider yourself reinstated, Commander"

Then Anderson tossed Shepard's dog tags back at him. Shepard looked at him again.

" I'll be back for you. You and the rest of this planet."

Anderson took one final glance at Shepard as the Alliance shuttle landed behind him.

"Good luck Shepard."

"You going to need it more than I will Anderson. Stay alive."

Then Anderson watched them leave. As he headed towards the shuttle, he began to wonder if he made the right choice in staying. When he saw the devastation and despair in the horizon, it stopped mattering. He was here to stay, to stall the Reapers in their advances on Earth.

He had no time to feel tired anymore; it was time to be a soldier again.

* * *

For the second time that day the memory of Fehl Prime came to haunt Vega.

They were just leaving. They were abandoning the planet, and he didn't even have a choice in the matter. They were taking the easy way out like cowards, and leaving the rest of the people to die.

Just like Fehl Prime.

* * *

He could barely remember when his eyes still looked human. Nowadays he sits, waiting for this day to arrive, just him and the eyes that haunt him.

He has given up his humanity for the sake of humanity, and he has done the unforgivable to save it. Cerberus can no longer hide in the shadows, so they need an army, and if he needs to make soldiers and civilians into husks to do it, then so be it.

Mars is where he will start. He will find what is hidden within the archives, and with it, he will kill the Reapers.

If the cost is his soul then he will gladly pay it.

He simply wants it to end.

* * *

Eva Coré. That is supposed to be its name. It was simple enough really, pretending to be a human. After deciding on the look, the skin will need a personality. With that will come beliefs, perspectives, and verbal ticks. The latter half is almost unnecessary considering that it will not be there for long.

Get in, dispose of Alliance, get data, and get out.

It should be a simple enough mission for Cerberus.

It should have been.

* * *

Jack Howie. That is supposed to be its name. It was simple enough really, pretending to be a human. After deciding on the look, the skin will need a personality. With that will come beliefs, perspectives, and verbal ticks. The latter half is almost unnecessary considering that it will not be there for long.

Get aboard, obtain the admiral, and get out.

This should be simple for Cerberus to accomplish.

* * *

Oriana Lawson. That is supposed to be its name. It was simple enough really, pretending to be a human. After deciding on the look, the skin will need a personality. With that will come beliefs, perspectives, and verbal ticks. The latter half is almost unnecessary considering that it will not be there for long.

Find Operative Lawson, disable her, and get out.

It should be simple enough.

* * *

Kaiden Alenko. That is supposed to be its name. It was simple enough really, pretending to be a human. After deciding on the look, the skin will need a personality. With that will come beliefs, perspectives, and verbal ticks. The latter half is almost unnecessary considering that it will not be there for long.

Find Hannah Shepard, eliminate her, and active the bomb.

It should be simple enough.

* * *

There is more of him, many more. Compared to project Lazarus, he was very inexpensive to make, he knows that, but he also knows that he is more than worth it. He and his brothers were all meant to be replicas, spare parts for the original.

Now he is provided the opportunity to deal with his "father". And simply can't deny the pleasure he feels at this offer

He is certain that they can do it; after all, there is only one of him, and more of them.

He is certain that they are stronger than the original Shepard when they all come together.

* * *

He cleans his blade for the fifth time that day. It won't be long before the Council notices that several of their top Spectres have failed to check in. It is a shame too. The Asari was almost too good of a fight to let die, but he had his orders.

The aliens have never cared for the humans. He wished the rest of humanity could understand that, but they are weak, and need to be guided to the righteous path by Cerberus. The sooner they break off and establish dominance, the sooner humanity can ascend to its rightful position, as gods above the abominations that plagues humanity's stars.

As he puts down his sword and drifts off to sleep aboard his ship, he dreams of Earth and of home.

"我到底要等多久才能回家？"

* * *

Hackett feels old, too old.

Earth is burning, the Alliance is wounded, and all he can do is watch.

He wonders if he did thing pulling away from Earth. At least he managed to save some men from their burning ships. As chaos spreads across the Alliance lines, he wonders what he has to do. He quickly makes up his decision to find what is left of the navy and re-establish order, starting with his ship full of terrified soldiers and refugees.

It was time to stop feeling old and act the soldier again. He has to be strong.

No aid comes for Earth at all.

* * *

Amidst the chaos aboard the Admiral's ship, it moves in. It will have a five second window to move in and obtain its package. It will only need three. On its cue, the ship's lighting system goes dark.

No aid comes for Hackett at all.

* * *

**Authors Note: First, actual story with a good deal of effort put into it. I believe that Criticism is fine provided that it be constructive, and feel free to write whatever you feel about the story. This was not beta read so do forgive me if there are spelling or grammar issues that slip my grasp.**


End file.
